MIT Technology Review has given the name “chronogenics” to the experimental approach of inserting ancient DNA into living organisms to recreate extinct species.
The practice is not without controversy and some have complained about the risk involved in bringing back dangerous or deadly organisms, such as the 1918 influenza virus.
Other examples include Australian researchers who in 2008 introduced a DNA fragment from an extinct Tasmanian tiger to mice.
In 2023, a team in Japan altered mice with a mutation found in Neanderthals to study changes in anatomy.
Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen also used 2-million-year-old DNA to modify barley plants to make them more tolerant to the extreme daylight variations of the Arctic.
Beyond animals, in 2016, the synthetic biology company Gingko BioWorks used ancient DNA to create perfume inspired by extinct flowers.